Has the BMW M brand become just a marketing tool? Dear BMW, we demand an E89 Z4M!

Enough is enough. This is getting absolutely ridiculous. Yes, this article is complaining about BMW and in particular BMW M. We all know BMW is going for 'alternate powertrains' and is pushing 'Efficient Dynamics' and that is absolutely fine. You want to be the German Toyota? Be the German Toyota. But what about the enthusiast? What about Motorsport? Why even have an M division if you are not going to produce Motorsport derived cars?

The world must be upside down when the Ultimate Driving Machine company sells an M sport utility vehicle over the car they choose to race with. There is no E89 generation BMW Z4M for sale yet BMW races one. The hypocrisy and contradiction is absurd. In the American Le Mans series, BMW is racing what is a Z4M. That is, a BMW M division built E89 Z4 GTE. Yet they do not sell one for street use. You can buy the X6M, X5M, but not what actually hits the race track. Why is nobody grabbing pitchforks and torches?

Not only is BMW telling you one thing and doing another, they are completely disrepecting the American Le Mans series by bending the rules. This is not the first them they have done it but it has never been so blatant. Someone needs to say something. Someone needs to do something. If this does not get you even remotely upset then it is completely over.

The BMW i3 is being pushed on us whether we want it or not. They want to build transportation for the masses. That is fine. But what about the BMW enthusiast? What about the customers who have stuck by for decades? People who are (were) fans of the brand and have bought multiple cars? The slogan supposedly is, "We only build one thing, The Ultimate Driving Machine." Then why aren't you building it?

We can have both. BMW can build a huge volume of cars and the executives can light cigars with $100 dollar bills while sitting atop a pile of money pointing at the quarterly BMW sales figures. Would it kill them to actually produce the car they have produced for every prior Z car generation? Especially considering the M division races one? Especially considering record numbers and profits? BMW, have you completely abandoned us? Have you completely abandoned the spirit of the brand?

There's a time frame from when it has to be built. They all follow FIA regulations and the regulations changed after the M3GTR. You can basically race anything you want even if you do not sell it for the first year. After that you either have to sell it or you can't race that car. That's the choice BMW will have to make at the close of the season.

Well we all know what choice they won't be making. A new Z4M with a fixed roof and a proper motor would just make way too much sense for BMW these days. They'd rather compete in the SUV and city car segments than make a competitor to the Merc AMG roadsters...

There's a time frame from when it has to be built. They all follow FIA regulations and the regulations changed after the M3GTR. You can basically race anything you want even if you do not sell it for the first year. After that you either have to sell it or you can't race that car. That's the choice BMW will have to make at the close of the season.

When they lose, they'll pack it up and go home. I'm so sick of BMW acting like a teenage girl.

Well we all know what choice they won't be making. A new Z4M with a fixed roof and a proper motor would just make way too much sense for BMW these days. They'd rather compete in the SUV and city car segments than make a competitor to the Merc AMG roadsters...

It's easy to claim you won in a segment when your only competition is golf carts.

FIA does not regulate ALMS. FIA is the sanctioning body of the WEC, where BMW does not run the Z4 GTE. IMSA is governing body of ALMS. They have a partnership with ACO, but IMSA in round about way makes some rules adjustments in their series. Sometimes leaving teams to have to make changes to cars, in order for them to meet regulations for races like 24hr Le Mans.

FIA does not regulate ALMS. FIA is the sanctioning body of the WEC, where BMW does not run the Z4 GTE. IMSA is governing body of ALMS. They have a partnership with ACO, but IMSA in round about way makes some rules adjustments in their series. Sometimes leaving teams to have to make changes to cars, in order for them to meet regulations for races like 24hr Le Mans.

What's ironic is that the X5M / X6M actually do sell. The E89 Z4 is quite an eye catch, and it'd be even more so with the M treatment. Finding a quality past gen Z4M coupe is actually difficult, so I also agree the BMW is holding out on their core demographic.

It would really be a shame if the E89 Z4M wasn't brought to market, but if BMW can do away with M3 coupes...

This a load of BS and has never been properly explained. I'm amazed nobody is asking questions.

Time to do a little investigative work.

It would be nice to hear a concrete answer.

What IMSA essentially did was allow BMW to tweak the FIA GT3 Z4 to meet ALMS regulations. Not giving any reason why they where allowed to do that in the first place. No other team in GTE paddock has done that.

Here is what makes it even more complicated. With the merger, the ALMS GTE and Grand Am GT classes are staying separate classes. They will be named GTLM and GTD. GTLM being an exact carry over of the ALMS GTE class. But here is where it gets interesting, the GTD class will also allow for FIA GT3 cars will minor modifications. All while BMW runs a tweaked Z4 GT3 in GTLM.

No, next year the rules for Le Mans change and you can basically run any engine you want. Each car has a certain amount of fuel (gas or diesel) per lap and as long as your car doesn't use more fuel than that, the engine regulations are totally open.

So here comes my theory, The E92 M3 is out of production and BMW didn't want to race with their old body style at a time when they're trying to get everyone excited about the 4 series. The F80 M3/M4 isn't ready yet and obviously they wouldn't want to reveal that race car before the street cars are shown, and the turbo motor in that car isn't legal to race this year. So BMW asks for a one year exemption and as long as they're getting special treatment, they decide to drop the S65 into the smaller Z4 chassis and that's how we end up where we are today.

I am almost 100% certain BMW will never build a road version of the Z4 with the S65, it really pains me to say that because I would be the first one in line to buy such a car but as someone said above, if they only race the car this year they aren't required to homologate it.

No, next year the rules for Le Mans change and you can basically run any engine you want. Each car has a certain amount of fuel (gas or diesel) per lap and as long as your car doesn't use more fuel than that, the engine regulations are totally open

I am fully aware of the merger, as you can see by the post above yours. Is the full rules book for 2014 out yet? How do you know they can run any engine?

From everything I had heard the ALMS GTE class carries over exactly as it was and becomes the GTLM class.